Seedlings dying off

[DKkenn]

Hi,
I june i got some coccinum flasks.
They seemed to be growing nicely, but now it seems some of them are beginning to die.
I water with fertilizer at every watering, by soaking the pots.
Sometimes i give the pots a little spray from the top.
Could the sprying have caused it, if there comes water into the shoot of the plants?

 

[Ozpaph]

That sphagnum looks old and dead. I would repot into fresh 'mix'. I would water thoroughly from the top and not sit them in water. Good air movement. Fertilizer at Nitrogen 100ppm PER week.

 

[Djthomp28]

Congrats on getting them this far! They look good.

From the look of the single seedling pot, it looks like you are having some opportunistic rot impacting your seedlings (maybe erwinia?). This is spread by splashing water. So it is likely moving from pot to pot as you water, either spraying or soaking. Also make sure you are not carrying it one your hands - wash your hands or use gloves between handle in the infected seedling. Another measure is to toss or at least isolate sick seedlings. Given their small size, saving the infected ones will be a challenge. The better goal is to keep the healthy ones healthy.

I agree @Ozpaph. Increasing the air movement and refreshing the potting mix might be in order. How dry are you allowing them to get between watering? You don't want them to be bone dry but approaching dryness with a little crunch on very top of the moss could help, especially while you get this infection under control. Finally, a cooper based fungicide might help to slow the spread if used preventatively on the healthy seedlings.

Good luck! Some loss is expected when working with flasks. How much depends on the type of orchid and the grower.

 

[DKkenn]

That sphagnum looks old and dead. I would repot into fresh 'mix'. I would water thoroughly from the top and not sit them in water. Good air movement. Fertilizer at Nitrogen 100ppm PER week.

Thanks. It's just on the top that it looks of like this. Just underneath it looks "normal" But was also thinking that is could be retaining too much water?
I am afraid of watering from the top, as the shoots would be full of water.

Congrats on getting them this far! They look good.

From the look of the single seedling pot, it looks like you are having some opportunistic rot impacting your seedlings (maybe erwinia?). This is spread by splashing water. So it is likely moving from pot to pot as you water, either spraying or soaking. Also make sure you are not carrying it one your hands - wash your hands or use gloves between handle in the infected seedling. Another measure is to toss or at least isolate sick seedlings. Given their small size, saving the infected ones will be a challenge. The better goal is to keep the healthy ones healthy.

I agree @Ozpaph. Increasing the air movement and refreshing the potting mix might be in order. How dry are you allowing them to get between watering? You don't want them to be bone dry but approaching dryness with a little crunch on very top of the moss could help, especially while you get this infection under control. Finally, a cooper based fungicide might help to slow the spread if used preventatively on the healthy seedlings.

Good luck! Some loss is expected when working with flasks. How much depends on the type of orchid and the grower.

keeping the plant separated from the others and not mixing the water will be impossible for me, I am afraid.. But maybe keeping the plants more dry or in a dryer medium..?

i am new to orchid seedlings, so this will also be a try an error thing for me.

 

[Ozpaph]

watering the mix from the top is fine if air movement dries the leafs within a few hours. Remember it rains in nature; from the top.

 

[DKkenn]

I know.
I am just not sure there is enough airflow in my room for them to dry fast enough..

 

[gonewild]

Dragons Blood will control it. One drop in the crown of each seedlings.

 

[Djthomp28]

Dragons Blood will control it. One drop in the crown of each seedlings.

Would you recommend that before the signs of the infection appear?

I use dragons blood a lot. It has been a game changer.

 

[gonewild]

Would you recommend that before the signs of the infection appear?

I use dragons blood a lot. It has been a game changer.

Yes. Dragons Blood won't hurt the plant. Especially in a comport I would treat every plant.

 

[DKkenn]

What is Dragons blood?
I never heard of it before. Probably not something I can get around here..

 

[swamprad]

What is Dragons blood?
I never heard of it before. Probably not something I can get around here..

What is a good source for Dragons Blood? I’ve seen some on Amazon, but was unsure if it was the right stuff or not.

 

[BrucherT]

Hi,
I june i got some coccinum flasks.
They seemed to be growing nicely, but now it seems some of them are beginning to die.
I water with fertilizer at every watering, by soaking the pots.
Sometimes i give the pots a little spray from the top.
Could the sprying have caused it, if there comes water into the shoot of the plants?

I’m seeing moldy substrate. It sounds like you’re fertilizing too much and already causing “salt” buildup. I would promptly and thoroughly soak each pot in pure RO or distilled water and then flush through with more pure water to clear that salt buildup. Then I would water twice in a row with KelPak/RO solution. Going forward, do not fertilize every watering; tiny seedlings are not able to process all that and your fertilizing to date has likely burned their roots already; the KelPak will hopefully help stimulate new root growth as well as replacement leaves for what’s dying. When you do fertilize, water first thoroughly with distilled or RO water, wait a bit, then fertilize. Your plants will be safely hydrated and more easily able to take up nutrients they need while avoiding overfeeding that results in what you’re seeing.

Regarding the comment about how rain in nature means it’s ok to get water in plant crowns, I dissent; most none of these plants grow upright-facing in nature. They’re inevitably on a tree-trunk or slope and the leaves tend to hang downward to shed water. I am very careful to avoid getting water in crowns, ever; when I do, I blow it out or use the corner of a paper towel to wick it up. A fan blowing across the grow area is a must if you’re one to spray water all over.

As others have noted, dragon’s blood is the bomb. You have to be sure you get the good stuff; there’s at least one other thread where it’s extensively discussed. I’m attaching a photo of my bottle. You need the product to declare that it contains 100% Croton lechleri extract and no additives.

 

[Djthomp28]

I also use that brand.

 

[gonewild]

Look for a brand of Dragons Blood that does not contain alcohol or has been processed using high heat.

 

[swamprad]

Blue Organix brand is no longer available. Does anyone else know a brand that is definitely the good stuff?